One of the most consistently successful teams in recent Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour history, GruppeM Racing, will once again fight for overall victory in the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener early next year.
Mercedes-AMG Team GMR, as it’s known, has locked in a Pro entry for the event, which takes place on January 31 – February 2. Its full line-up will be revealed at a later date.
However, the reigning FIA GT World Cup winner appears certain to be amongst the front runners given its recent form at Mount Panorama where it has never qualified lower than third in its four previous visits. And although victory has remained elusive, it has secured podiums on two of those occasions.
The Hong Kong team also has a pair of Allan Simonsen Pole Awards to its credit, first with Raffaele Marciello in 2019 and then again with Maro Engel in 2023. The latter’s stunning 2m00.8819s lap set in that year’s Pirelli Shootout remains the quickest qualifying effort in 12 Hour history.
The team first entered the race in 2019 with Marciello pairing with Maximilians Buhk and Goetz to lead 34 laps and ultimately finish third. They then returned the following year and for a time had looked to go one position better than their debut. With Marciello and Buhk joined by Felipe Fraga, their Mercedes-AMG GT3 qualified third and crossed the line second behind the winning Bentley Continental GT3 – only to be penalised post-race for a pit lane infringement during their final stop.
The team returned in 2023 with Engel, Marciello and Mikael Grenier leading 144 laps – the most ever by a car that did not claim victory – before going on to finish third once again in the closest top three the race has ever seen. A mechanical issue with a data logger saw them forced to complete a late, unscheduled pitstop before an on-track clash as Engel battled with ultimate winner Jules Gounon for the lead also cost them time.
However, their remarkable comeback saw Engel haul in the leaders, crossing the line third just 1.4s behind SunEnergy1’s winning Mercedes-AMG.
The team was fast again in 2024, Engel qualifying the car third behind Broc Feeney and polesitter Sheldon van der Linde. He, Felipe Fraga and Supercars ace David Reynolds then finished eighth, the last car on the lead lap of the race, however ran in the top three for much of the first half of the 12 Hour encounter.
GruupeM has two IGTC victories to its name: first at the 2018 Suzuka 10 Hours and then last year’s Gulf 12 Hour.
Tickets, Camping and Corporate Hospitality are on sale now, with information via the Bathurst 12 Hour website; www.bathurst12hour.com.au.